As the United Nations celebrate this year’s World Ocean Day on June 8, 2021, the Human Rights for Development Alliance has charged government at all levels to double efforts in protecting the oceans and other water bodies
Convener of the group Mr Legborsi Pyagbara stated this in a statement issued in Port Harcourt by the Head, Media/Publicity of the group, Sunny Zorvah.
The group noted that oceans form an essential part of the web of life and sustains a greater percentage of life’s biodiversity and livelihoods.
It regretted that in recent years, the activities of man are destroying “our oceans and other water bodies with it’s vast biodiversity, which had been the provider of livelihoods and nutrition for people across many generations”.
The statement added: “Today, the pollution of streams, rivers, seas and oceans has imperilled the local livelihoods of fishing and impacted negatively on nutrition with its huge effect on life itself.
Besides, international trade with shipping and dumping of wastes in oceans have aided the accelerated destruction of our oceans”.
“It is on this note that we welcome this year’s World Ocean Day celebration with the theme focusing on life and livelihoods”.
“We urge government to seize the opportunity to renew their commitment to protect our oceans, particularly here in the Niger Delta, which empties into the Atlantic ocean and where offshore drilling of crude oil has its negative impacts”.
The group also call on members of the civil society and communities, particularly those living around the oceans, to be conscious of their activities that harm the oceans, like plastic pollution and dumping of all kinds of wastes in carnals, lagoons, streams, rivers and creeks, seas and oceans.
